Astray
by zealousgirl
Summary: Sequel to 'Retrieval' - A Trip and T'pol story (don't want to give too much of this away)
1. chapter 1

Title: Astray  
  
Author: zealousgirl  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Enterprise is the property of Paramount - I do this for my own amusement and not for monetary gain.  
  
Author's Note: This is a sequel for 'Retrieval' (which I suggest you read first). It follows that timeline, but may not address all of the things that were left hanging in that story (I may get a trilogy out of this!). I hope you enjoy, and please review - it feeds the muse.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Astray  
  
Chapter 1  
  
She looked down at the corset that was causing much discomfort, and making it difficult to breath. Again, she was almost shocked at her current appearance, particularly her pronounced cleavage. She then felt a chill on her bare shoulders and legs, and knew that the doors had just opened. The frigid air from the outside quickly dissipated into the warmness of the room. Slowly, she turned to face the exit, hoping that her contact had finally arrived. The sooner this charade was over, the better.  
  
Standing at the door was a tall figure, whose size was exaggerated by the heavily padded coat that had protected him from the extreme cold. Pulling off the coat revealed a fierce-looking Nausicaan. He scanned the crowded drinking establishment, and headed towards an empty booth in a darkened corner. His path was not impeded, as the other patrons quickly jumped out of his way.  
  
T'pol made sure that the hair prosthesis was still hiding her obviously- Vulcan ears. She was grateful that she had had the foresight to bring extra nasal numbing agent - the mixture of the sweat and pheromones of dozens of different species (almost all males) would have been intolerable. Taking a deep breath, she primed herself for the next step in their plan. Acting was never her forte, but she planned to draw upon her observations of the other females on board Enterprise.  
  
The Nausicaan sat with a pint of ale held up to his lips. He watched as the scantily clad woman slinked her way towards him.  
  
"Hello, big guy." T'pol spoke loudly, above the noise of the room. She took a seat on the bench next to him, leaning in close and placing her bare arm on his chest. "What can I do for you?"  
  
The Nausicaan smiled, exposing more of his razor-teeth. "What are you willing to give me?" He then leaned in closer, and spoke more quietly. "Have you got the deuterium?"  
  
T'pol forced a smile, as she seductively ran her fingers up his neck. She pulled him towards her, whispering in his ear, "It is ready to be transported to the pre-defined coordinates at my command. Do you have what we have requested?"  
  
The Nausicaan grabbed her roving hand, passing her a small chip. "It's all there."  
  
"I must confirm that the information is indeed on this datachip." She took out a small PADD, concealed under the table. After placing the chip in the port, T'pol stealthily reviewed the data. Satisfied, she sent an encrypted message to Lieutenant Reed who was waiting in Shuttlepod Two, on the outskirts of the city. Leaning again into the Nausicaan, she whispered, "You should receive the shipment without delay." Then, she pushed herself away from him and said aloud, "Your offer is not acceptable. Maybe you should seek companionship at another establishment."  
  
*************  
  
After 2 days of being forced to masquerade as a 'female entertainer', as Mr. Reed had termed it, T'pol was grateful that she now held in her hand the information they had been seeking. Luckily, she had been able to ward off the advances of many patrons, without raising much suspicion. Now in the dressing room (more like the 'undressing' room in her estimation), she prepared to make her escape, before the establishment's owner had noted her absence. Glancing at the PADD one last time before placing it in her coat pocket, she paused at the image that was displayed - Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker the Third. Her only thought, at that moment, was that she would find him, if it were the last thing she ever did.  
  
To be continued . . . . 


	2. chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
~Two months earlier~  
  
The door chimed, suddenly bringing her back from a deep meditative state. She stared at the solitary candle in front of her for a few seconds, before blowing it out and replying to her visitor. "Come in, Commander."  
  
The doors glided open to reveal the handsome engineer. Despite it being the end of the day, he was freshly shaven, and wore a clean and pressed uniform. He stepped inside just enough for the doors to close behind him, and then sent her one of his boyish grins. "Just finished up in engineering, and thought I'd check on ya, on my way to the messhall. . . hey, how'd you know it was me?"  
  
T'pol opted ignore his query, as his tone had indicated that he was being sarcastic; he had paid her a visit around this time every evening since their return from the Reina system 10 days earlier. "I am doing well, thank you."  
  
"Do you think you're up to going out in public yet?" He shuffled his feet from side to side, as would a child asking his parents for a prized toy.  
  
"Actually, the Doctor has agreed to allow me to return to active duty, provided that I do not overexert myself." She watched him intently after this statement. As relief swept across his face, she actually felt relief herself. She knew that he still blamed himself for her being abducted by Koss. This was despite her frequent assertions that without his being there, she would have surely succumbed to the maleficent attempt to gain emotional, and eventually physical, control of her.  
  
A toothy smile now formed on his face. "That's great, T'pol! Come to dinner with me so that we can celebrate." He practically jumped across the room, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her up from the cushion on the floor. "Chef could whip you up something special, I'm sure!"  
  
Prior to the events of the last few weeks, this exuberance would have resulted in her mentally chastising his behavior. Now, for T'pol, it was a welcome show of emotion that she recognized as being genuine - the result of his true feelings for her.  
  
She did not know how she was going to broach the subject of what they had experienced during the three-way meld, facilitated by Seema. T'pol did sense the deep feelings that he had for her, and was convinced that Trip had discovered that she reciprocated these. For his part, Trip had been incredibly patient with her, allowing for her to regain her physical and mental strength. His daily visits were always cordial, without any pretense of his wanting to explore these affections. Although on occasion, T'pol would catch him staring at her, with an expression that could only be described as doting.  
  
Maybe if they dined in her quarters that evening, they would be able to discuss this in private. "Mr. Tucker, I accept your invitation, however would prefer to not to go to the mess-hall this evening. Would you be willing to dine here this evening?"  
  
Trip smirked, but quickly tried to cover that up. "Sure. Any requests?"  
  
"Commander, as you are acquainted with my tastes, I trust you to make the appropriate selections."  
  
"Alright. Be right back." And with this, he left, with a slight bounce in his step.  
  
*****************  
  
Trip walked along the corridor towards the mess-hall, contemplating the most recent encounter with the Subcommander. Despite the Vulcans' claims that they are emotionless, Trip had learned to read T'pol's expressions, and decipher what she is feeling and even thinking. He knew that the impending conversation was the one that he had both wanted and dreaded since the events outside of the Scaniran warehouse less than 2 weeks earlier. Was she going to acknowledge his feelings for her? And hers for him? What would this mean for them as friends, and colleagues? His mind was reeling such that he failed to notice that Hoshi had come around the corner - they collided.  
  
"Commander?" Hoshi stared at him, with a look of confusion. "Are you OK?"  
  
"Ya, I'm fine. And you?" He looked down at her, and gave her a friendly smile.  
  
"Yes, sir. Actually I was just coming down to look for you. I just received a private message for you, and have sent it to your quarters." Hoshi scanned his face, trying to determine if he was expecting it. "It was marked urgent, and confidential."  
  
Trip sent her a puzzled look. "Can't guess who'd that'd be from." He turned in the direction of his quarters, curiosity getting the better of him. As he darted away, he called out, "Oh, and thanks Hoshi."  
  
*****************  
  
Trip sat in front of his computer monitor, his eyes fixed on the message in front of him. Bringing both hands up to his temples, he rubbed them. His face showed his disbelief of what he had just read. "What am I going to do?" he whispered to himself. He then leaned back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling of his quarters, and let out a heavy sigh.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
AN: I know where I'm going with this so please be patient. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is going to be a rather long story. I am trying to not sit on each chapter too long. I have a habit of editing several times, and never finding it exactly to my liking. So if at times it doesn't seem quite polished enough, I do apologize. I am taking someone's advice on how to not get bogged down in the details.  
  
Thank you for your reviews. And thanks for reading. 


	3. chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
T'pol sat the edge of her bed, staring at the door. She had already removed the cushions and candles from the floor. She then had arranged the small table in her quarters such that she and Trip would be able to sit across from each other during the meal - making it easier for her to interpret his response to the forthcoming conversation. But now, all she could do was wait.  
  
Glancing at the chronometer on her bedside table, she realized that the commander had left over 45 minutes ago. What could have delayed him? Going to the comm., she sent out a general call. "T'pol to Commander Tucker."  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Subcommander T'pol to Commander Tucker."  
  
Nothing.  
  
T'pol was somewhat unsettled by his failure to respond.  
  
Then the comm. cracked, signaling a response. But the voice belonged to the communications officer and not the chief engineer. "Subcommander? If you're looking for the Commander, I think he's in his quarters."  
  
"Thank you Ensign." T'pol immediately headed out to find him.  
  
*****************  
  
T'pol stood outside his room, waiting for him to respond to the door chime. After a 20 second wait, she overrode the controls and entered uninvited. She found Trip sitting in his chair, in front of his computer. He was staring at the ceiling, apparently lost in thought.  
  
Before she was able to see what was displayed on the screen, Trip noticed that she was there, and quickly turned off the monitor. "Oh, T'pol. What are you doing here?" He seemed very agitated, and avoided looking directly at her. He stood up and walked over to the window.  
  
"Mr. Tucker, are you well?" Her voice cracked slightly, revealing her concern for him.  
  
"I'm fine. Just remembered that I have other things to do right now, so I can't have dinner with you." He gazed out into the darkness of space. "I've got lots to do, so if you'll excuse me."  
  
"If you wish. We could celebrate some other evening." T'pol stepped closer to him, trying to peer around him so that she could assess him closer.  
  
"Sure, whenever. I'm just busy right now. Good night." His tone was curt, conveying his desire for her to leave.  
  
T'pol hesitated in her reply. "Good night." She then backed away from him, towards the exit, and only taking her eyes off of him when the doors closed in front of her.  
  
*****************  
  
The next morning, T'pol stood at her station on the bridge for the first time in weeks. She busied herself with reviewing the logs of the previous 2 weeks, and the various reports that, as first officer, were her responsibility. However, she was distracted by the events of the last 14 hours. She had yet to see the Commander - he had called up to the bridge to say that he would not be able to attend the senior officers' meeting. The Captain did not seem to be concerned by what T'pol considered to be very odd behavior, even for Mr. Tucker.  
  
Her contemplation was interrupted by Ensign Sato. "Captain, sir, we are being hailed by someone who claims to be the Chancellor of a planet called Byatt."  
  
Archer turned around to ask T'pol if she knew of this planet. She anticipated his query. "Byatt is an M-class planet, approximately 3 days from our current position. They are not as technically advanced as we are, however do have warp capability. It is my understanding that its tropical climate has made it a place where many sojourn."  
  
Archer looked pleased with her account. "Maybe they'll let us take a bit of shore leave. Ensign, put them on the viewscreen."  
  
Almost immediately, the scene in front of them switched from the darkness of space to an image of a humanoid figure. His appearance was similar to themselves with no gross difference in frame. He had darkly tanned skin and dark hair with streaks of gold, and was wearing a canary yellow linen top. Behind him was a landscape of luscious green vegetation, punctuated with bright red and orange flowers.  
  
He sent them a welcoming smile. "Greetings and good health! I am Andash, Chancellor of Byatt. I extend our hospitality and grace. You are Jonathon Archer, Captain of the Earth vessel Enterprise." His last sentence was not a question, merely a statement of fact.  
  
Archer let out a quiet sigh of relief - 'maybe these aliens will not want to invade our bodies, take us hostage, or shoot at us'. "Chancellor, thank you for contacting us. We are on a mission of exploration, and would love to come meet you."  
  
"We will be honored if you and your crew not only visit, but take advantage of the many activities that our planet can offer. I am certain that your crew could benefit from a little rest and relaxation." His tone remained cheerful, and sincere.  
  
Archer scanned the faces of those on the bridge; all, save Malcolm and T'pol, seemed enthusiastic about this. "Thank you again. We accept your kind offer, and will be seeing you in approximately 3 days."  
  
Andash nodded. "We will be the greatest of friends. Until then." And, with that, the transmission ended.  
  
Before Archer could reflect on the exchange, Malcolm piped up. "Sir, how did they know we were coming? T'pol says that they are less technologically advanced than we, and yet we barely can detect them on our sensors at this distance."  
  
Archer shook his head in disbelief. "Lieutenant, must you always think the worse?"  
  
Malcolm retorted. "Sir, it is my job. I would like to send a security team to the surface to first explore before we allow unsupervised shore leave for the remaining crew."  
  
"Sure, Malcolm. And you can get a head-start by reviewing the Vulcan database on the planet. Does that make you feel any better?" There was no point trying to change the skeptical nature of the ship's Tactical officer, so Archer placated his suspicions. Archer, for his part, was looking forward to this vacation, of sorts.  
  
T'pol maintained her silence, observing what had taken place. She too shared Lieutenant Reed's concerns, but had learned that the Captain, once his mind was made up, would not waver from his decision - even with the most logical of arguments. Her only consolation was that the time away from the ship would allow for her and Commander Tucker to have the unavoidable conversation, and to develop a solution to what she was starting to deem to be a problem.  
  
*****************  
  
At the time when she would normally have been preparing for bed, T'pol found herself in the ship's gym. She was disturbed by many thoughts, and had failed to find solace in her meditation. Maybe a brisk work-out would help her clear her mind. She stepped on the tread mill and began a planned 5 kilometer run.  
  
Despite her reservations about the visit to Byatt, her mind opted to focus on a certain engineer. She was disconcerted by the fact that for the first time in weeks, she had gone an entire day without seeing neither 'hide nor hair' of him (one of his colorful idioms). Twice she had looked for him in engineering, and was told that she had just missed him. She spent nearly a full hour in the mess-hall without his ever showing up. She had even visited his quarters, but he was not there either. Was he deliberately avoiding her? Was he afraid to face her? Maybe he did not want to upset her by refusing her. T'pol continued to attempt to rationalize his behavior. She also began to doubt her own desires. The union would be too difficult. She would not be able to provide him with the level of attachment that he seeks. He is too volatile. Their relationship would be doomed to fail - their working relationship would also suffer.  
  
Finally she conceded that it would be best to not attempt it in the first place, thus evading the risks associated with it. Having seemingly come to the most logical conclusion, T'pol decided that she had sorted out the problem to her satisfaction and that she would now retire for the evening.  
  
As she approached the exit to the gym, the doors opened and the source of her deliberations stepped in. He looked startled at finding her there, but quickly averted his eyes and walked past her briskly, saying in an impassive tone, "Good evening, Subcommander."  
  
She turned to follow him, but paused. Had she not just decided that it would be best to not pursue the matter any further? Instead, she decided to only acknowledge his greeting. "Good night, Commander." As she turned again to leave, she secretly hoped that he would call out to her to wait - again she was disappointed.  
  
*******************  
  
It was now mid morning, and T'pol was sitting in the Captain's chair overseeing the day shift on the bridge. She was conferring with Ensign Sato about the upgrades to the UT's in preparation for their visit to Byatt. They were interrupted by a call from Engineering.  
  
"Lieutenant Hess, to the bridge. Is Commander Tucker there?"  
  
Hoshi and Travis looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders; they too had noticed that the Commander had made himself scarce recently, missing the 2nd senior officers' meeting in a row earlier that day.  
  
T'pol noted the non-verbal exchange, and then answered the call. "No, lieutenant. We were under the impression that he was working on a problem with the warp drive. Perhaps he is taking an early lunch."  
  
"I don't think so, Subcommander. We haven't seen him all day, and he isn't answering the comm." Lieutenant Hess countered, with definite trepidation in her voice. "And, the warp drive is working just fine. We just did an overhaul 2 days ago. Well, never mind about that, he'll turn up soon. Lieutenant Hess out."  
  
T'pol was becoming frustrated with his recent conduct, as it appeared to be affecting his work performance. As chief engineer, he should be readily available at all times. Disregarding her decision to avoid confronting him, she decided, as first officer of this vessel, to locate him and demand to speak to him. His behavior had been intolerable. "Ensign Mayweather you have the bridge."  
  
As the doors to the turbolift closed, Hoshi turned to Travis and quietly snickered. "Boy is someone ever in trouble now."  
  
****************  
  
After scouring his usual haunts on the ship, T'pol finally found him inside the launch-bay. She would not have thought to look for him there; however, as she passed the open launch bay doors, a series of expletives had revealed his presence. She now found him lying on the floor, frantically working on an open panel on the underside of a propped up shuttlepod. "Commander Tucker, I would speak to you for a moment."  
  
She observed that he was startled by her presence, his legs jerking followed by "Ouch!", likely as a result of his hitting his head. He quickly slid out from under the pod, and stood to face her. He was covered with dust and grease, and his hair was disheveled. "What do you want?" There was no sign of cordiality in his voice, just impatience.  
  
"Your staff in engineering has been looking for you all morning. And you have missed another meeting with the Captain. Commander, is this appropriate behavior for someone of your rank?"  
  
Trip was angered by her reprimand. "Just so's you know, I've been busy making sure that the pods work fine for our little visit to this planet. You know the luck that we've had with these. Seems we hardly go a week without a malfunction or crash. I'm just trying to keep us all safe. So, why don't you just let me do my job, and go back to doing yours." Without waiting for her response, he lowered himself to the floor and slid back under the shuttlepod, resuming his work.  
  
She hovered above his legs for at least a minute, in silence, before responding. "Well, Mr. Tucker, I would ask you to reconsider your current attitude. Apparently I was mistaken in my assessment of our. . . relationship." T'pol did not hide the disappointment in her voice. "I assume that you will be occupied for the remainder of the day. I will inform the Captain that you will not be joining us for dinner."  
  
And, as quietly as she had entered the launchbay, she departed. Had she paused for a few seconds at the door, she may have heard Trip sadly mutter to himself, "Sorry T'pol."  
  
To be continued. . .  
  
A/N: Thank you so much for the words of encouragement. This is all that I have typed for now, but I do have a good idea of where things are going next. Hopefully I'll get to it over the weekend. Hope you enjoy, and please review (makes me happy!) 


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